Mistress
by vacantstares
Summary: "Do you enjoy stealing people's husbands, or was it just mine?" This is the story of Esmeralda Cardoza and James Potter. The story of an exotic dancer, and a married man. Neither knew what was going to happen when James would walk into her club that night, but neither would come to regret it.
1. one

**seeing venus**

Everything was black and he couldn't see, but he was only focused on two things. His first thought was of his wedding, tomorrow afternoon he would be married to _the _Lily Evans. His second thought consisted of the pure irony that was him, James 'Prongs' Potter, having his own _stag _night.

His friends jostled and shoved him around on their way inside. All acting like giddy teenagers; James Potter included.

"Oh, you're gonna love this one Prongs."

"Trust us, you're gonna have a _great _time."

Sirius squeezed his shoulders and lead him further down the rabbit hole. There was loud music with a bass that vibrated through his chest, and through the cover on his eyes, he could see beams of light that varied in color. "You can thank me later." And then the blindfold was ripped off.

Hanging from fabric that hung from the ceiling, twirling around poles, danging on stage and sauntering around, were women scantily clad in things he'd only ever dreamt of.

A strip club. His mates had bought him to a strip club on the night before his wedding. He could help the grin that grew on his face after that realization.

"You guys..." He trailed off then turned and jumped on his best friends in excitement, giving them all bear hugs, "are the absolute best!"

It was something that they had all joked and wondered about, during their late nights chatting in the dorm, but James never thought any of them would have the gall to actually go through with it.

They took their seats in front of the only quiet part of the stage. There were no colorful lights shining nor was there a beautiful dancer swinging from the pole. He couldn't bear the anticipation. Who was going to come out?

"This girl, your gonna love her." Sirius promised, "I called in earlier and made sure she was the one to dance for us, she's the best in the house. They call her...Venus." He waggled his fingers in the air and grinned mischievously. James held his breath. He was oozing excitement, a woman who he barely knew showing all her goodies? Yeah, he was more than excited.

With the sound of her name falling off of Sirius's lips, a set of blood-red lights descended on the stage. They moved all across the stage, going back and forth through the stage as if they were searching for her along with the eyes of all four of the Marauders.

_I guarantee that no woman here is more beautiful than my Lily._ He thought. _My flower is the most-_

A single piece of fabric fell from the ceiling all the way down to the floor, and from the middle of the fabric was a girl. She twirled and danced her way down, every move as breathtaking last. James watched on abated breath and couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.

When she finally made her way to the bottom on the fabric every eye had been turned to face her. She donned a thin red set that left him with only so little to imagine. As she began her routine she swung her hips and twirled her hands in the air in a motion so fluid water would be jealous. It made something stir inside of him to see her move the way she did, something that he'd never felt before.

As soon as she had caught his gaze, the goddess-like woman walked down from the stage and directly to him, now standing in between his open legs. She never broke eye contact and her movement never faltered. She was the absolute embodiment of her namesake.

Later in life when he would go to look back at this moment, he wouldn't know whether to blame his mates or thank them. He was getting married tomorrow, yet there was sat in a gentleman's club, completely mesmerized by the Latin beauty that swung her hips in front of him.

Before he laid eyes on her the only thought on his mind was Lily, they were getting married. They were going to start a new life and a new family together. But now, he thought of the alluring 'Venus' and it was becoming increasingly harder to think of anything else.

Her hands trailed softly down his face and her hips swayed in sync with the beat of the music. James's eyes followed her every move, not wanting to miss a thing. She lifted her leg and brought it up to rest on the chair next to his thigh a trail of glimmering light following her every move. It was some cheap spell put in place to attract customers, but boy was it working.

To his left, he could vaguely hear Sirius, Peter, and Remus hooting and hollering in awe and excitement, but he paid them no mind.

He was losing his mind. Every fiber of his being was pulling him towards her._ "Lily, Lily, Lily, you have Lily."_ He repeated the mantra in his head with a hard grip on his lip, but his will wasn't stronger than temptation than sat in his lap.

"I have a present for you, Bello." She purred in his ear.

He shivered. Goosebumps ran down from his ear, where her lips rested, all the way to his lap, where her thighs were strewn across. James let out a long controlled breath through his lips and nodded his head, the only type of communication he could muster in his current state.

When she got off of his lap he could see Sirius next to him laughing along with Peter, the both of them cheering him on. When he stood up he saw Remus who donned a bright smile on his face, a drink in his hand, and a stripper in his lap. Yeah, Remus was enjoying himself.

Venus grabbed his hand and led him up a set of stairs and to a mirrored door. Going through the door he followed Venus into a room that screamed desire and lust. She led him to a pearl colored couch that felt to be made of silk, the only kind of material that could even come close to being as soft as Venus's skin. He sat back and watched as this goddess twirled around on the platform.

She stepped down from the miniature stage and walked towards him. The closer she got the more he impatient he was. He couldn't wait until her body was on his, doing whatever kind of things she was trained to do.

As she stood in front of him James couldn't help the goofy look that was surely on his face. He was eye level with her belly button, and could honestly say there was no place he would rather be.

Turning around, Venus sat in his lap, pressed her backside against his crotch, and just like that his body was on fire.

_Oh God_, he thought, his body shaking. _Quidditch...Snape in bell bottoms...Pumpkin pie!_

Later when he was laid in bed with Lily, as a newly married man, he would wonder why it was the thought of his Aunt Macie's pumpkin pie that calmed his body down. Maybe it was because his Aunt Macie had a bunion on her foot the size of 4 snitch's, but there were other things that deserved his attention.

And what deserved his attention right now was Venus. With a lump in his throat and in his pants (his pumpkin pie method hadn't lasted long), James didn't know what to do. The goddess-like woman was on him like...like...he couldn't even think of anything to relate it too.

She lifted her hand softly and his eyes followed her every move. With the wave of her fingers a glass of champagne floated from its spot on the bar and into his hand.

The music that played in the room was background noise, it was faint and undeserving of his attention. She grabbed his hands and whispered to him, just loud enough for him to hear her. "I've never seen you here before. Special occasion?"

He stammered at first. What should he say? There was nothing wrong with going to a strip club for a stag party. But at that moment James did what he did best. He lied. "It's my mates birthday. Wanted to give him one to remember."

Venus chuckled, a sound he made sure to remember because, like her, it sounded amazing. "The drunk one that was hanging off Iris?"

Merlin, Remus was going to be in for a good one in the morning. "Yeah, that's the one."

James stiffened as she rolled her body onto his. His hands slid up her thighs and gripped her hips. "Your so tense Bello, why?"

She slid her hands from his stomach and all the way up to his shoulders. He knew that she could feel the way his muscles strained underneath her touch. As she rubbed his shoulders she applied pressure to a spot just at the base of his neck and he could have moaned, Merlin it felt so good. Actually, he _did_ moan.

Venus smiled and continued to work her hands through his muscles. "You're like a goddess." He mumbled with his eyes closed and his head thrown back.

She leaned down and whispered in his ear, something she enjoyed to do he guessed, "They don't call me Venus for nothing." And then she placed a kiss on his neck in the same spot that she had hit earlier.

_That _was James's breaking point. He said, "screw it," and grabbed her by her neck and brought his lips to hers.

When he did it, he knew he wasn't supposed to._ The sign said no touching_, but Venus didn't seem to mind. She kissed him back with more ferocity than he had expected. Her hands ran through his hair and his hands ran up her back and to her neck.

James turned her neck to the side and pulled her body even closer to his, his arms fully encasing her body. His lips latched themselves onto her neck, down her chest, and back to her lips. He pulled himself away from her and praised Merlin that he was sitting down because the look she gave him made his knees turn soft.

"I don't normally do this," she murmured. "But-Oh God," She cut herself off at the feeling of his warm hands on her bottom and his lips on her ear. She hadn't said anything after that so James must have been doing his job right.

Through their labored breaths and heavy kisses, Venus began to pull down his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. His body was on fire. It was never like this with Lily.

With Lily it was different, it was a sensation that reminded him of what home was supposed to be. Lily reminded him of kids, and an old rickety house to share. With this woman, a woman whom he barely knew, he was reminded of life and making love on a beach.

Taking off her bra, Venus slowly got off of James and kneeled between his legs undoing the buttons to his jeans at a tantalizing pace.

"Stop!" He all but shouted.

"Something wrong?" She had a smirk on her face, but a part of him could tell she was unsure as to why he told her to stop.

James smiled to himself and stood, bringing Venus up with him. He picked the girl up as if she weighed so nothing and flipped them over, laying with her underneath them. He trailed his fingers down her stomach and to her panty line. "Nope, I just wanna take my time with this."

* * *

Venus was laying on his chest, her sweaty body pressed against his, and he pulled her closer to him not wanting to leave the moment. He knew that once he got up, put his pants back on, and walked out of the door it would be the last time he would see her again. It would be the last time he felt like that again.

"What's your real name?"

He heard her laugh and it was the loveliest melody he had ever heard. "That's a gift for another party Bello."

"Do you do this with all your...customers?"

"No, you're the first actually."

"Will I see you again?" He was starting to sound desperate now.

"Will you come back here?" James felt his head shake at her question giving her an unspoken answer. "Then there you have it."

"I should get out there, my mates must be waiting for me." He made no effort to move. Every cell in his body wanted to stay there, with her, for as long as he possibly could.

"Why?" She purred, moving up and kissing the skin on his jaw. "Do you have somewhere to be tomorrow?"

James gave a deep sigh and glared at the ceiling, "Yeah, a wedding."


	2. two

**remembering venus**

She was a whispering thought in his mind. A sight that only graced his dreams. She was nothing but a lingering thought.

That was until Sirius wanted to go back for his birthday. "Come on Prongs, it'll be fun, remember your stag night? My God, what was her name again?"

"Venus." He mumbled the words so quietly that he was sure the only one that could have heard it was himself. He was wrong though, Remus heard. And James knew that Remus heard based on the way his head snapped up from his teacup.

Remus was the only one that told James had told about his stag night. Partially because Remus didn't remember that night, and partially because he knew that Remus was probably the only one who would listen to him and help him through his thoughts without fully demonizing them or encouraging them.

So when Padfoot brought up a return to the Siren Lounge, Remus knew what was going through his best friends' head.

The thought that what went through his mind when the prospect of returning to the club had him scared. At first glance, the sinful thoughts that ran rampant seemed like just wedding jitters. After 3 months, she had become plain fantasy. But now, now he didn't know what to think.

Since that night, almost every part of James had been consumed with guilt. He remembered every single detail. The smell of her perfume, the feel of her skin on his, the...the taste of her. Everything about her was engrained into the back of his mind always sitting there and mocking him.

_Do you remember? _It would taunt him in her voice. _I hope you don't forget me. Oh, who am I kidding? We both know you won't._

And he knew the voice was right. While there were parts of him that felt guilt and remorse for what he had done, there were also parts that hadn't. There were parts of him that wanted to do it again. That wanted to go and seek out this Venus and break all the vows he'd made.

"Prongs?" Sirius snapped his fingers in James' face. "Prongs?"

"Yeah?" His eye's hadn't left Remus, and the look on his face never wavered; it remained as solemn as he felt. "Sounds like a great time, can't wait."

From his spot in the armchair, he could see Remus's eye faintly twitch. "Rem, help me clean the kitchen?"

He jumped from his seat and patted Sirius on the arm, who was still going on about the girl he had met at the Siren's Lounge (Diana, he called her). The further they'd gotten away from Sirius's rantings, the more agitated Remus had begun to look.

"Are you kidding me?!" He began to rage. "Do you not remember what you went through after the wedding? Why in gods name are you so fixated on this girl? You are _married_ now, James. This isn't what married men do."

James hung his head low and looked down at his shoes in shame. He knew what he was thinking was wrong. He knew what he wanted to do was wrong. He knew what he _had_ done was wrong, but something about the girl kept pulling him in and he had to figure out what it was. He wouldn't rest right until he did.

"I know that! I thought," He stopped taking a deep breath. His heart was clamoring within his ribcage, just knowing that _she_ was the topic of the conversation made him react in a way he didn't think to be possible. "I thought it was a one-time thing."

Remus was red now, wildly waving his hands, and huffing with what James interpreted as frustration. "THEN WHY WOULD YOU AGREE TO GO BACK?"

All of this was giving him the headache of a lifetime. It shouldn't be this way, and Remus was right. There was no reason conceivable for him to be so eager to cheat on his wife, but in regards to Remus' question, the only answer he could think of was the honest one:

"I have no clue."

He groaned and rubbed furiously at the mess of curls on top of his head. "I hate myself, Remus, I really do, but...there's something about her. I can't-" He huffed again, his entire body felt on edge at the conflict that he dealt with in his head.

There was one undeniable truth: James Potter was a terrible person.

He'd knowingly broken the trust of the one person he pledged himself to be forever loyal to. In the back of his mind, he could envision the twisted look of hurt on Lily's face. The tears that would run down her red cheeks. It was a thought that he couldn't bear to think of.

His stomach twisted into tight knots of guilt and he felt more frustrated than ever. Why was he so drawn to this woman? Why did he sleep with her? Why did he marry Lily the very next day? Why was he all of the sudden so unhappy with the woman he spent _years _pining after?

He had no answer.

Looking over to Remus he watched as the scarred man shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm not going to scold you on it, not anymore at least. I don't think I can." James looked at him wildly. Remus was his last hope, his conscious personified. If Remus was no longer there to advise him against his desires, then he would surely fall down the rabbit hole. "I can't force you to be faithful to your wife, James, no one can."

James felt himself deflate even more at his friend's words. At the moment, his greatest wish would be for someone to make all of this go away, and for everything to go back to normal.

"I know your beating yourself up about it, but, I'm not your mother James," he paused once he saw the look James had given him. It was a shame that Remus denied being 'Pack Mother' when it was so obvious that he was. " I still don't know why you'd want to go back though. Are you really that thick? What's so special about this girl. She's a _stripper_ for christ's sake!"

Opening his mouth to reply, James was cut off by the sound his front door opening. Perfect timing.

He exchanged a look with Remus. One he would never forget. They shared each other deep in the eyes and had a sort of 'mental conversation' with one another. He could just hear Remus scolding him in his ear: She's your wife James, you chose this life. Don't back out on it now.

Remus made his way through the kitchen to make a grab for his coat while James listened to his wife in the living room.

"Lil, how's work? You doing ok?"

"Merlin! Feels like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"You know I'll be expecting a baby Prongs soon enough Mrs. Potter."

James winced slightly at that last comment, hopefully not.

Walking over to the kitchen sink and resting his arms on the edge James felt the whole world come down on him. Why did he even want to go back? Remus was right. Venus was nothing but some random stripper that he desperately needed to be rid of.

"Phone me later, yeah?"

Rubbing his eyes roughly all the man did was nod his head and sigh. This was all doing his head in and he hadn't even set foot in the club yet. Was the prospect of seeing the woman he spent the night with really this tempting? Was he really ready to risk more than what he already had?

There were more footsteps, "bye Remus, be safe out there," and the sound of a bag hitting the counter.

He felt a soft and small pair of arms gently glide around his middle and squeeze. "You alright, love? You look tense."

Venus's arms were sof-NO!

He cut his thoughts off and pushed the woman to the back of his head. That was a line that he would not cross. He would not compare Lily to his infidelity, she deserved better than that.

What did Lily deserve? It was more than him surely. Some time ago, when faced with that question James would have pointed his nose up to the sky and replied: "My Lily-Flower deserves nothing but the finest things that I can provide for her." But now, all that James knew was that Lily deserved better than him.

"I'm fine," he finally said forcing his words out through gritted teeth, "just work stuff. Given me, a real bad headache is all."

Lily brought her hand up and trailed it around his shoulder blades. At the feeling of her hands on his body felt void. No butterflies, no pounding heartbeat, none of what he frequently experience in their shared days at Hogwarts.

He dreaded this conversation. All he wanted to do was grab a beer and run back to the company of his friends. Just as the thought ran through his mind, Sirius poked his head into the kitchen and pulled one of his world famous grins.

"We're headed out. See you at my...birthday party, yeah?" He winked mischievously at his best friend before shouting out a quick, "Bye Lily!" and hopping into the Floo.

Lily chuckled and walked over to the fridge pulling out a pan of leftovers. "Do I even want to know what that was about?"

James pulled his lips in tightly and shook his head, "No you really don't."


	3. three

**returning to venus**

The door glittered as it did the first time he came. The bloody colored door and its golden handle called to him, whispering its sultry invitation and wrapping long tendrils of lust around his ears beckoning him forward._ Open the door_, it taunted him, _you know you want to. Come on, let's have a good time._

James turned his head looking over his friends once more. Peter was shivering, hands shoved deep in his pockets, and his head darting around like they were about to get caught committing a crime. Sirius was bouncing on his toes, James could tell that he couldn't wait to get in. Remus was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at James, mentally scolding him no doubt.

Rolling his shoulders James brushed off his best friends' stares and brought out his wand and went back to staring at the door. He gripped his wand for dear life and felt his stomach twist. After this door opened, there was no closing it, that, he knew for sure.

"_Revelare_!"

With a flick of his wand the door disappeared and was replaced by a hallway filled with pounding music and pieces of golden fringe that hung from the entrance to the floor.

"Woohoo! Oh, boys, you won't regret this!" Sirius shouted, racing through the streamers and straight to the dancers.

James walked slowly into the club, watching the door reappear behind them, shutting the Lounge off to everyone without magic. He wrung his hands together (a nervous tick he picked up from his father). Would she be working tonight? Would things be the same as last time? He felt sick to his stomach.

Being in this place again was like a big slap in the face. Reality grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him hard enough to give him a sense of realization. How could he do this to Lily? How could he just betray her trust like that? How could he just-

The room smelled faintly of jasmine and rose, his body tingled, and all worry and all the regret that he had recently felt flew out the window. He felt his spirits rise a little, and a waiting smile grew on his face.

When he came to his senses, he found his friends sitting at a table right in front of a section in the stage looking directly at a silver pole.

"James, mate, perfect timing we just ordered drinks."

He nodded his head and sat down anxiously tapping his foot and glancing rapidly around the room. Where was she?

"Looking for someone, _Bello_?" At the sound of her voice, James felt every bone in his body go soft. Well, maybe not _every_ bone.

She trailed her hand around his shoulder and moved to sit on his waiting lap. To the unknowing eye, James was just a happy customer enjoying a show, but James knew better than that.

He smiled bashfully and trailed his fingers down the length of her arm. "I didn't know if you'd be working tonight." His hands fell and rested on the outside of her thigh.

"Well, here I am." The beauty spun around sharply and sat her backside smoothly in his lap.

His mind ran back to that first night. The look of her writhing underneath him. The sound of her gasping. The smell of her perfume under his nose. The feel of her smooth skin on his rough hands. The taste of her skin.

It was all so alluring. His memories and desires driving his body and leaving his thought and reasoning in the wind. He wanted her now more than ever, and at that moment, he knew Remus was right. Coming back was a horrible idea.

He hadn't done it yet, but he was about to throw his marriage to the dogs and let this woman he barely knew consume his every being. But he was ready for it.

As Venus danced in front of him he couldn't help but wish she was closer to him. The music was so loud, he wanted to whisper in her ear all of his hopes and dreams, and his desire to make her his.

Like she had read his mind, Venus sauntered back towards him squatting down between his open legs. Running her hands through the hair on the side of his head she stood slowly and seductively placing her bosom right under his nose, and slowly rolling her body on top of his. "Tell me what's going on between those ears, Bello."

His friends didn't seem to be paying attention, not now at least. Sirius was drunk, with one dancer in his lap, another on his arm, and a cigar in his hand. Peter was at the buffet grinning and chatting with a girl who seemed to hang off his every drunken word. And Remus...well Remus was nowhere to be seen, but that was none of James' concern.

"I want you." He stated boldly. Now confident in himself and his feelings.

A loud chuckle came from the dancer's mouth, one that resonated through her whole body; making her chest, which was only inches away from his face, bounce freely along with her amusement. "Everybody does, Bello, it's how I get paid."

Rolling his eyes James made a decision right then and there. It was time to take what he wanted. His large hands reached out and grabbed the girl by the waist pulling her back into his lap quickly, something she obviously wasn't expecting.

She pulled a face that for a fraction of a second was real. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't entrancing, it wasn't sinful. It was a funny look of shock that made her shout out a small high pitched, "Ah."

A smooth, happy smile passed through his face at the realness of what he just saw. "I want you," He pressed his lips to hers when he saw she was going to interrupt them. She pulled away with a smirk and snaked her arms around shoulders.

Her touch was warm.

"I want you. Not just your body, not just..." He waved his hand all around in a gesture at her costume, "Venus. I want _all_ of you." He rubbed his hands gently along the curve of her back reveling in her warmth.

With his words, the mask of her persona fell through again. This time was longer than the time before. Her devilish smirk fell and her hands ceased their movements of rubbing his back. She stared deeply into his eyes looking for a hint of a lie.

"Meet me in the back my shift ends in 20."

And with that, she left. Disappearing into a room hidden by beads that fell from the top of the door frame attached to thin strings. Leaving James to suffer through his anticipation alone.

* * *

He'd been outside for forty minutes. Where was she?

James' heart began to race. The boys would start looking for him soon, and if Remus caught him, he would never hear the end of it. This was wrong anyway.

Just as he started to shuffle away a voice called out to him. "I thought you wanted me, Bello."

There she was, one head flat against the brick wall, and the other resting on the top of her duffle bag. She looked beautiful, natural. It was the first time he had seen her fully clothed, and he loved it even more than the sight of her on the pole.

She donned a dark pair of bell bottoms that squeezed her hips, a bright yellow top that stopped at her midsection, and a flared denim jacket. If he was being totally honest with himself, she kind of looked like Sirius.

"I do." He answered her.

"Then why'd I just catch you walking away?" She sauntered over to him, with all the swagger of her onstage persona, he guessed it wasn't something she could just turn off.

"I was starting to think you told me to come back here just to get rid of me."

"I thought about it"

"What took you so long anyway?"

"Had to count all of my tips," she shrugged lightly and began walking out into the parking lot, leaving James to jog behind to catch up with her. "Now tell me about what you said earlier."

It was his turn to shrug. He leaned against the side of her car (a red Cadillac that he would normally fall over for) and tried to feign coolness. "I don't know, I can't explain it. I feel drawn to you." He stepped closer and pulled his hand out of his pocket, and rested it on her face. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about that night." He whispered.

"You do know that was three months ago, right?" He nodded, holding his breath as Venus stepped closer to him, pressing her hands against his chest. It felt so wrong to call her 'Venus' outside of the dark lights of the club.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you either though."

He grabbed onto the side of her face and held onto her gently. His heartbeat pounded. It raced and almost ripped it's way out of his chest. His knees got weak. He felt like a Second Year again. Was this real?

"But..." his face fell, and his thumb twitched from against the soft skin of her cheek. But what?

She grabbed his hand from her cheek and took his wedding ring right off of his finger, twirling it around and then lifting it up to his eye level. "It looks like you already _want_ someone else." She was mocking him now. "Why do you want me, huh? Need something to keep you warm while the wife raises the kids?"

His mouth fell open, he had no words.

"You're not the first one you know."

This was it. He was losing her. She was slipping through his fingers faster than he could comprehend, and he was just _letting_ it happen.

She made a moved into her car and shut the door. This is it, his hope slipping through his fingers and fading before his eyes.

"There's a small cafe two blocks from here: Lux Cafe. I'll meet you there at 10 tomorrow, don't be late, Bello." And with that being said, she took off, her tires screeching down the road.


	4. four

**meeting venus**

The cafe was oddly named. For one, _Cafe Lux _looked more like a diner than it did an actual cafe, and it was anything but lux. It was a rickety, old place that had dark worn down booths, and withered wood flooring. Why would she want to meet here of all places?

He walked in cautiously, wringing his hands together out of nervousness. He stood at the podium with a brightly painted sign that read 'Pick A Seat, We'll Be With You Shortly'.

Making his way to the cleanest table he could find, James couldn't help but feel his anxiety hit him at full force.

He wasn't anxious about getting caught. He wasn't anxious about what he was going to order. He was anxious as if he was meeting Venus for a first date, and he didn't know why.

James hadn't felt like this in a while, but oh did he enjoy it. The turning that his stomach did everytime the bell on the door rang, indicating that someone had entered. The way his heart beat furiously within his chest. _Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum._

The door opened again and the bell rang for the twelfth time (he counted), and as he watched her enter he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

It was like she moved in slow motion. Every step she took commanded the attention of everyone in the room. Every look she gave made onlookers weak at the knees. Even the click of her shoes on the floor made James want to throw himself at her mercy, "Do with me what you will," he imagined himself at her knees. "I am yours."

When she finally reached the booth James pulled himself to sit straighter, bringing his hands together on top of the table.

They stared at each other for a while. Waiting to see who would make the first move. Venus had her shoulders pulled back, and her hair looked natural, in soft waves, as if all she did was let it dry after a shower; it even looked a little damp if he leaned forward. She didn't have any makeup on. Her face looked softer than it did at the Lounge.

She had transformed into a completely different person, and that was the moment in which James knew he was in trouble. Seeing her in this new light, he knew then that what she had stirred inside of him was not lust produced from a character she played at night. There was no doubt about it now. He was a goner.

"You know," he started, messing with the cup of coffee in his hands, "I didn't think you were going to actually meet me here."

Venus quirked her eyebrow at him while pulling a face. Her way of asking why.

"I thought you might've just told me to meet you here to get rid of me." He admitted shyly. He was letting his nerves show through, it was never like this before.

"If that were the case, then I wouldn't have slept with you, would I?"

James turned red at the statement. Yes he had thought about that night constantly, but to hear someone say it out loud, especially her, mad it all the more real. It was like a confirmation that he hadn't just imagined what could have been the best night of his life.

He turned all around looking to see if anyone had heard the statement. At his rapid eye movement, he heard her melodic laugh again and all his attention was back to her. He moved forward and leaned all of his weight onto the table, resting his elbows on the top of it.

"Last night, what did you mean when you said I wasn't the first? Do you do what we did...with other clients?"

He watched as she shook her head and began to play with a sugar packet, flipping it around her fingers. She kept her eyes on the packet, not once looking back up to him the whole time she answered his question.

"No." There was a short pause and a small shrug between her words. "I just meant that you wouldn't be the first man to come into the Lounge thinking that dancers are easy and.."

"That's not what I think at all."

The packet stopped its movements.

"Well, a lot of guys do." She scoffed. Bored with the sugar packet, she threw it onto the table and leaned in to meet James' stare, her face just centimeters away from his own. "People think that just because I dance on a stage, and show my tits for money that I'll throw myself onto any perve who pretends like he loves me for an hour."

A deep scowl had made its way onto her face, a testament to what she said. James believed her though. That first night, before they even walked in, Peter had wondered aloud if the girls were allowed to get...friendly with customers.

She took one look into his eyes and spoke aloud the answer to a question he had been wondering for the past three months.

"You didn't do any of that. The way you kept on looking at me, and the way you grabbed me it," she took a deep breath, "it almost felt like you were doing it because you cared."

_I do care_, he thought to himself. To James, it felt amazing to know that she hadn't written him off as some random Joe. It was like taking a step towards a desert oasis. He was so close to what he desired, so close to figuring out if it would work out.

"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind," His words flew out faster than he would have liked. He was finally in front of the woman he'd fantasized about, and here he was spilling all of his embarrassing schoolboy thoughts. Oh, if Sirius could see him now.

"Every time I close my eyes I see you. Every time I look in the mirror I remember the way your hands felt on me. I can't even sleep anymore because every time my head hits the pillow I get butterflies because I know I'll be dreaming of you."

A smile more beautiful than anything he had ever seen grew on her lips. It was small and soft, accompanied by slowly reddening cheeks. His proclamation had her twisting in her seat, surprised by his words.

"That's probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Well you should get used to then. There's a whole 'lot more where that came from."

The way he smiled at her words made her stomach turn two times over. No matter what came out of his mouth Venus was beginning to realize how strongly the man oozed charm. She wondered if he had always been this way.

They stared at each other for a long time after that. Just grinning, and admiring the beauty of each other's presence.

"You know I could get you a job at the Lounge if you wanted." She laughed.

_What?_ At the mere thought of himself on the pole, James burst into a fit of giggles. Yes, a grown man such as himself had broken down into a fit of _giggles_. "Why on Earth, would you say something as absurd as that?" He wiped away a stray tear.

"With that pretty face and all of that charm you'd probably make as much as me."

It was true. Venus made a ridiculous amount of money. Part of it was her body, of course, but the rest was her mouth.

Words were Venus's greatest strength. Her customers came for her body and stayed for her promises. It was a gift she had. On most occasions, she could look at a man and tell their deepest desires, and then she would whisper it back to them and have them wanting more. That's why they named her Venus.

"You really think so?" He asked.

Venus nodded her head and gave a sure look twirling the straw of her milkshake, "oh, I know so."

James sat upright in his seat and puffed his chest out. "Welcoming to the stage," he bellowed in a deep voice, "our newest addition: Prongs!"

He began to make cheering noises and started dancing around in his seat. Venus had no clue if he was trying to be sexy or not, but he strongly resembled a cowboy that had gotten tied up in his own lasso.

The girl laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Very much enjoying the show she was being given. "What on earth are you doing?" She questioned through her laughter.

The dancing boy halted his movements and pulled a serious face. "I'm auditioning. What else would I be doing?"

That made Venus laugh even harder than she had before. "I don't think I'll be able to get you a spot with those skills." She'd begin to hold onto the side of her stomach.

"Are you trying to say I'm bad?"

"Oh no, not at all." She bit her lip, a weak attempt at holding in her grin.

At that moment, everything felt natural. Everything felt real. He was doing this. It wasn't just a spur of the moment, and the confirmation of that notion made his heart beat faster and his skin heat up.

The feeling gave him a boost in confidence and he hopped up from his seat and slid into her side of the booth, resting his arm and his arm behind her head and pulled his body close to hers. Through the eyes of Eleanor, their waitress, they were nothing but a cute smiling couple that just couldn't get enough of each other, and Eleanor was _almost_ correct.

He leaned into her, close enough that his nose could touch her hair if he tilted his head left. The closer he got to her the warmer he felt, her breath, which smelt of her chocolate milkshake, and his lips brushed against hers, soft enough and to feel the sticky pull of her lip gloss, but not firm enough to be considered an actual kiss. After this daring act of courage, James pulled back and looked Venus in her eyes this time a soft smile resting on his face.

He watched as Venus frowned and the distance and grabbed the side of his face, kissing him slowly at first, and then with all the passion that had built up between them. James savored every second of the kiss. Loving the connection and intimacy that it provided him with. The hand that rested on his face drew circles underneath his ear. Encouraged by her movements, James rested his arm over her legs, which had quickly draped themselves on top of his lap, and massaged the exposed skin of her shorts, secretly glad that she had worn shorts.

As the sound of their kiss became louder they pulled away, neither wanting to do it. They locked eyes for a second. A quick second that in James mind, felt like it lasted forever, but it was a forever that he was okay with. His smile faltered for a split second before he made up his mind. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

He watched as the side of her mouth twitched up and her eyebrow quirked, "You trying to get me out of my pants that quick?" She smirked at her accusation, "And here I thought you wanted to get to know me."

Rolling his eyes lightly he grinned even wider, "I meant, do you want to go somewhere else," he laughed lightly at the look she was giving him. Her eyes were squinted skeptically and she hummed at his words pretending as though she didn't believe him.

"Come on," he threw a couple of dollars on the table, enough to cover their drinks and a tip, and stood up holding his hand out to her. "I'd say it's getting a bit stuffy in here, don't you think?"


	5. five

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222; text-align: center;" data-p-id="b1b866cce98155add5024dd83beffd46"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"eating with venus/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7389608c2d1020a0e7beff09dbd878af"It had been three months since James sat down in the ringy Cafe Lux, and met with Venus. From that point on there was a permanent smile that never left his face. Every thought that ran through his mind was of her. He felt like a child again. Butterflies in his stomach and a constant stream of thought dedicated to her and only her. There had been 12 separate occasions in which James had either snuck out of his home or made some lame excuse to go see her, and about 28 other occasions in which James had to take a 3-hour "work call" while at home./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="909170181bcbf1e421662d5d6c16e93a"Remus had called it infatuation, but he was sure that wasn't it./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d9cbd4688473dadcf6a307aa50c69acf"He was infatuated with Lily, that he was a fact. For the longest time, he couldn't put his finger on what went wrong between him and Lily. She was meant to be his one and only, he knew what it was now though./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="67535551e27e24a044e85a41434b294d"James Potter never loved Lily Evans. He just thought he did./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ceb64228f5075dee27da190636860062"All those years he spent chasing after a girl that never once showed any sign of reciprocation. It was all a game. Just one gigantic game of cat and mouse. Once the mouse fell for the trap, the cat realized that there was no fun in chasing a stuck mouse./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="afe8233416355c8c9691cb13fc686bbf"Maybe all he wanted was the chase. Maybe all he wanted was to experience the thrill of winning the heart of someone. James prayed to Merlin that wasn't the case with Venus, because if it was, then there would be no salvation for his soul./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="03219273fb8cd90c9d1550d9d62edb77"Coming up to the door that he'd become em style="box-sizing: border-box;"very/em acquainted with in the past few months, James tapped lightly on the door with his knuckles and leaned against the wall with a large grin already on his face./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="778d4c57ca89782735f954a654ce867b"The door swung wide open and there she stood, looking as beautiful as all the other times he'd laid his eyes on her. She had a black robe tied tightly around her waist, and her hair was wet, naturally curling as it dried./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d7a3a7523e0ac7c8316c5d724cb1fa1b""Hey Vee." He smirked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="42fa361f650b4351769720de2120db86"She still refused to tell him her real name, and he was okay with that. She needed more time to get comfortable with him. More time to gauge if James was truly serious about them, and he was fine with that. He would just spend every agonizing hour of every day wondering what her name was./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d8c625c398168ba1066c011548728ea8"She smiled at his greeting and reached up, grabbing him by the face and kissing him softly. "Hey yourself, Bello." She leaned onto the door and smirked at him playfully, "I thought I wouldn't be seeing you until Thursday?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="fe483a0b097d4d4c5c8731ebcedceb51"James shrugged lightly and pulled the woman out from her apartment and close to his body. "I couldn't wait, I had to see you." He pulled her into yet another kiss, lightly biting on her bottom lip before breaking away. "And I have a surprise for you."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="2e513a58a8f43d8515288f89c5a98e84"He watched as her eyes lit up. "A surprise? For little old me? Whatever could it be?" /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="6a3294b66b341f9d246827dd372782d4"At the sight of her cheerful face, James couldn't help but cheer up. The responsibility of being in the Order, of being on the run, saving lives, and constantly fighting, had been weighing him down. It seemed like he needed Venus now more than ever, because in reality, the only time he ever feels truly happy, is when he's with her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0ea60fa6bbf60d4d225d3c181b1d8e21"Venus pulled him into the house and then walked into the kitchen where there was a myriad of pots, pants, and there was food all over the place. "Are you...em style="box-sizing: border-box;"cooking?/em" James cracked a large smile and slide into one of the seats at the counter and watching her work./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a4fff62fa489243e29aea25ff34a4a56"Quickly glancing at him Venus pulled a smirk before turning back to the stove. "Wanna taste?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e7b0971240a9b0e1de25d27fd4987248"She walked over with a wooden spoon carefully held in her hand. It looked to be filled with rice and something white and shaped like a circle. As the beauty approached him he opened his mouth and took a bite. It was flavorful, chewy, and probably one of the best things that he's ever eaten./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="64b452464d2adb09123f6336a3a9c253""Jesus Christ, what is that?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e9578dc7e082fbed24ba41fd00015f71"Venus chuckled before answering. "Paella. It's my mom's old recipe, it was toggled with for 50 years before it reached perfection." She kissed the tips of her fingers and threw her hand up into the hair./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f294e23587370920e4b926b0f30bef11"James laughed lightly and watched her move around the kitchen, swinging her hips to whatever music that was playing from her radio. He rubbed his hands together rested his weight on the countertop, "you working tonight?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5c27cbe3d2bd8f9836f54b3d14e9d220""Yeah," she sighed and took a look at her watch before her expression dropped. "We have exactly one hour before I have to leave." She smiled once again and leaned over the countertop coming face to face with her...friend? No. Boyfriend? Not quite. Special acquaintance? That would have to do. "What was your so-called 'special surprise'?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="fc7426ecb31a1c4d2d8b60162cdc1535""Ah Ah Ah my dear, you're going to have to wait until you get off of your shift."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9b6d019f2b805aba1ea186a3a01d35cd"James watched as she smiled wider and shook her head. He could stare at her all day. The way she smiled as she sang along to the music, the way her hair swung back and forth while she danced. He was completely and utterly enamored with her, and there was no way out now./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="968feebee8d4c82368569ec46e31b134""Go set up the telly and I'll make us some plates?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5481290be0a10cfc188b56e59bfc44a6"He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips before turning to the living room and switching the television set on. He ran to her closet and grabbed her largest blanket, and then dipped into her room and stole the fluffiest pillow from her bed. It was crazy how he knew his way around the house, how truly at home he felt here./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="174a109abed73da34cb59d876325edaf"Her apartment smelt like vanilla incense and rose perfume, it was his new favorite scent. The whole place was always warm, every inch of it was just the right temperature to make things cozy but not hot, her bedroom was always cold though, it was the perfect setting to snuggle up under the covers. The color scheme was way too perfect, it reminded him of his mother's sewing room. A bunch of reds and oranges, lots of browns and yellows, it was like a grounded heaven./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0921124323609a7844be33cd004523f3"It was his own paradise away from the rocky shores of his em style="box-sizing: border-box;"actual/em home. Everything there felt cold, even if it was unintentional. There was a perpetual smell of lemon and tea, and the whole house was cold, the space was too big to be heated the way it was at Vee's, and it was so white. White and pristine, a few blues and greens here and there but nothing to make the house feel worn; lived in./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="52ec4e66e4976428223e010651f0be4a"The Potter household was a museum and every time he left he was liberated from his exhibit./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="2cc6e4fa0ad3490b08d570d6cbf22d6f"He finished setting up their spread just in time for Venus to breeze by with two plates full of food and two glasses of red wine. They both threw themselves on the couch, Venus getting comfortable underneath the crook of James' arm and James rested his feet on the coffee table and held the remote tightly in his hands./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="42e84922f92fd626905839a9969a3225""Muggle TV or wizard?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="da7db8a160df8e8ac7f6b9c425aa3340""Mmmm," she hummed through a full mouth, "let try muggle. I think Jeanie might be on tonight."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="eaa942394e3042ee0520c85edbf9142c"James lazily flipped through the channels before landing on his girl's favorite show. They watched in peace. This was how he wished to spend the rest of his nights. Oh, he wanted it so bad. To do nothing but sip on a glass of wine and eat a homecooked meal with the one person he loved more than anything./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c5fe330962b3fe2d8328327b33b731fe"His hand rubbed up and down her arm, completely lost in the comfort of her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="87e68aedd96a009e27f16252f5c16b89"It felt like it had been forever. The two of them sitting there enjoying their own peace. He could hear her breathing, slowly and in time with the static from the television set. The small smiles that would appear on her face as she watched the ridiculous 'I Dream of Jeanie' rerun./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="86e845dae602fee84abf24a8472d4989"From her spot on her side, she pushed her body further into his and pushed her arm across his stomach slowly caressing the skin that had been revealed. At the movement, he looked down at her, as beautiful as she could be, and watched as she smiled at him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f64ba1e84b68eeadef04a98e9ad55a9f"The sides of her eyes crinkled just a tad, and her cheeks warmed in their color. With his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her in closer and kissed her softly. Pulling back to see a face that likely matched his own. A face filled with content and joy./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f6f82c64c4b6e2c6e5af8fcb3c056801"Time passed by slower than ever after that. It seemed like they both were savoring the moment in each others presence, and neither noticed as the clock on the wall struck/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ce18b0325b68cb94588eaf69fed64f31"Glancing at the clock above the tv, Venus sighed and got up stretched wildly before moving back towards the bedroom. "Can you put the dishes away?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e5905ae1b9865dd8c75ccba58ef4f57d""Of course, love"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="fed952a1f3af65f52ec0e1faf2ecfc69"She disappeared into her room bustling around and making so much noise that James was sure she'd fallen over at least three times now. Despite her loud clumsiness (an odd trait for someone known for their grace), he smiled to himself as he began to wrap up the left overs and soak the dishes. He could see himself doing this for the rest of his life./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="80ad1f8bd6414e8e51e32302fb04fc13"As quickly as she disappeared into the room she came back out. This time, instead of wet hair and a silky black robe, she wore an orange tracksuit, and in her hair was the largest set of curlers he'd ever seen. When he looked up and laughed, his...girl? No. Girlfriend? Not quite. Special acquaintance? That would have to do for now. She got defensive./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="913d4d0d9311cd7c9fe64dcc4c30e193""What?" She feigned anger before laughing and slinging her duffel bag across her shoulder and heading for the door. "I won't have enough time to em style="box-sizing: border-box;"actually/em do my hair when I get to work."br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /She stood at the door for a second with her hand on the knob watching James leave his place in the kitchen and came to her. He grabbed her by the waist and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose before pulling back and grinning at her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="004ba5fb6e062cac6ec3906cec5c65c0""Will you be here when I get home?" She smiled./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ea9d043af92f5e96df66398e480d5684""Of course."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a7f247125de41d234bbec1422b51bc65""And will I be finding out what that surprise is anytime soon?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="592877dca9ad9423e3793ad0265382e1"James pulled her body closer to his, and threw his head back and faux thought before shaking his head and laughing. "Be patient Vee. I'll tell you in the morning." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="9aff26db518b746d13352228fb25826a""Oh, so you're spending the night?" She lifted her eyebrow up and grinned as she watched him nod. "I better go, you know how Luca gets."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="88afd9aba07b979ec1b2b7a9c9c0fe96"James nodded once more and brought her in for a kiss. It said everything he needed to say for him: Be safe, I'll see you when you get home. He watched as she walked out the door, her stage persona already halfway on. She wore it well./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="5f0af75289c354a259e50b045b4ab614"As the door closed behind her he laid back on the couch and poured himself another glass of wine. Now, all he had to do was figure out how to successfully kill six hours without dying of boredom./p 


	6. six

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" data-p-id="c15a5f0c536211c1038a2be017380e4d"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"having venus/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f4ce45844a5bb77a983cf3b535eb2008"He was half asleep when Venus finally came back home. The sound of the door woke him and he peeled his eyes away from the television set just in time to see his love at the door kicking off her shoes and yanking off a bright red wig./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="95e566751977788f15ddd6ce6919f891""Thinking of a change?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="6c00148715d2dccb1c59b2e7cde04824"She chuckled lazily at his remark, obviously tired from work. Plopping down on the couch beside him Venus but her feet in his lap and pointed, "Rub Bello, I've had a long night"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f34cef941568f625471694a9fe89962a"James grabbed her feet and massaged them, happy to do something to make her feel better, "what happened tonight"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c91ae26857f8935cfa666a990d14a11b""Oh just the usual, a couple of guys get too handsy, forgot to stretch before going out so my muscles are em style="box-sizing: border-box;"dying, /emand some famous quidditch player came in so the whole place got super crazy."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1b0a149466ddb0bd2307c8bd8d68d731""Who was it?" James tried to hide his excitement, but all attempts were futile./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f40de6ce31e272a49b0b7d6728f9b976""I don't know I didn't really hear any names, all I saw were big wads of cash." Seeing James deflate at her statement she ran her hand through his head and stopped at the nape of his neck, running her thumb across the back of his ear. "I'm sorry, babe. I should have gotten you an autograph."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="007d6e6225e726264cbe0883a105d326"As his hands went back to massaging her sore feet, and he smiled at her once again. "It's alright. I'm sorry you had such a tough night though, anything I can do to make it better? "/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f6282ca45d397cbe7c77ca0002983fbe"His eyebrow quirked up mischievously and he leaned closer venus smirking all the while. "I could think of a couple of things." she hummed grabbing his face and bringing it closer to hers./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="864cc49e0c85c5436db38c33a101c0f4""Oh, could you really?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="63273781c5d83f41423aa777edbc65ec""Oh most definitely." she chuckled into their kiss, and James grinned, loving the feeling of her smile touching his./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ea0beed4e996bffa3ed04865b128fbe0"Pushing forward James laid his body on top of Venus's and felt her melt into his touch. Her hands remained on his face and her body pushed up into his. Moving his kisses down to her neck James grabbed ahold of the zipper and slowly pulled the woman's jacket from her shoulders, letting his eyes come into contact with the em style="box-sizing: border-box;"very/em see-through fabric of her bodysuit./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ab23bef5d3396250ebb44d84a81a3b90""I didn't have enough time to change after my shift." She explained./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="dea43e4e723e66f45cd7374a2f870298"James was awestruck. He had no words, her outfit left him speechless, among many other things. He sat back and pulled Venus up with him, "Go ahead," he goaded her, "give me a lil' spin." /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="08e3d9aa27cdd4ae781acb89e729a556"She laughed shyly, an emotion that he was seeing arise in her more often as they spent time together, and moved up spin in front of him letting him see her in all of her goodness./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ebcb548ab2f848562c2b981a4d8a7889"Venus giggled softly and turned, and when her backside was facing him, after what felt like forever, he couldn't resist. He grabbed her by her hips and pulled her back down, her body now pressed firmly against his. "Baby," he growled in her ear kissing the curve of her neck, "I don't think you know the things that you do to me."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="27935bf620a4d709c4cc6227dd8303e4"She ground her hips into his and grinned at the noise that he made. "I think I do." Spinning around in his lap Venus pushed James back into the couch and grabbed him by the throat before kissing him so hard he thought his lips might slide off of his face./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="343c53b8f6d100d27e688da6dea094e9"They sat there for a while. Hopelessly grinding against each other, almost like they had forgotten there were buttons on their clothes or a bedroom just ten feet from where they sat. The whole world went silent and all they could hear was their own labored breaths, and all they could fell was each other./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="04adcd3e30b7f59f11a635eb5dd6a5cc"Just when he'd finally come up with the thought to unzip the fishnet bodysuit she wore, the dancer jumped from his arms and covered her mouth with the back of her hand, hiding a cheesy smile./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="da46c1affd4f32352afeeb37973cafa9"He pulled a confused face, tugging on her waist lightly; a plead to continue. "What? What's wrong?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="093bc69574f8c23499975e62d803e9cd""I had a long night at work Bello, I need a shower."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c887c56b97c2639c588a724f2ea20664""Ah, come on Vee stop playing."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f9fd36985c6bcf27c929afe15aeb6f74"She climbed out of his lap and made a straight b-line for her room. "Five minutes, promise!" She shouted through an already closed door./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="76598457856166834abbfcc0607880e5"Was she being serious? James looked down to his lap staring at his hardness. What a cruel woman she was. At the sound of the shower starting up and the pipes groaning James threw his head back and let out a groan in frustration./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="592994a8449bf8c6523fb840342023f8"Getting up he made his way to the bedroom, undressing down to his boxers and throwing himself onto his side of the bed. He stared at her popcorn ceiling and listened to the sound of the shower running. With a small burst of energy, James began to set the ambiance. If his girl had a rough night at work then he would make sure she was able to properly take a load off./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="091b524d6b25c59b22c5e11c608d2c38"He set and lit candles all around the room and made sure that the record player was playing her favorite album. As soon as the music started playing his beauty walked out of the steaming bathroom, looking just as beautiful as she did before she first went in. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="26d0cdcb4e0aee64a9603069ff5ab869"She stood shyly in the door frame, dressed in a set of underwear not as extravagant as her work outfits, but just as alluring. In all honesty, everything she wore made her look like a goddess, at this point in time he was convinced that she was one./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2d9c12801246b97326173facd51297a6"A goddess of love sent down from the heavens to observe and love all those who worship her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2e13f965350512d4b319ed1b041d5569"James got up from his place on the bed and smoothly sauntered towards Venus, grabbing her by the waist and pressing their barely clothed bodies together. His fingers traced softly down the side of her arms, slowly grabbing ahold of her fingers, loving the feeling of the goosebumps that arose underneath his touch./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1f2f8a2342ec03da23b9a87150bc8252"His heart began to beat faster and faster in the anticipation of what was about to happen. He could already feel himself beginning to harden just at his proximity to her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="66c8681989713ec87b79a4326e933d39"Venus grabbed him by his cheeks and pressed her lips to his. They kissed with more passion than he had ever felt. They moved against each other quickly and loudly, grabbing at every single inch of each other. Rubbing, pulling, touching, em style="box-sizing: border-box;"clawing, /emat each other in a desperate attempt to get what they needed. Each other./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7703b83012ec670a4cbbcc9e8c9bcd42"In one fell swoop, James grabbed Venus by the waist and spun her around, tossing her on the bed, before laying a trail of hot kisses on top of every inch of her exposed body. He yearned for her so bad. He wanted her so bad. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="de8e07ce27d4b75eb065b8e001032772"As his lips made their way back to hers, he felt her fingers dance across his back right before she pulled him closer and flipped them over. She was on top now. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f7d4a657999aed1c75f93a58dec70c1c"She grabbed her hair and pulled it to one side of her shoulder. They stared each other down for a long while, taking in the presence of each other. That was probably a little too short lived because as soon as their small moment of appreciation started, it ended with Vee's bra flying across the room. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9961397d6765a4ba634f5eac8a577b3d"James latched onto her nipple and sucked, licked, and bit, and he could feel Venus getting wetter by the second. She looked like she was in her own world. Her eyes were closed, she was biting down on her lip, and she was grinding into him with just enough pressure to make him go insane. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c12d70529e38d908a56d1c5f51475ba0"Venus opened her eyes and reached down, pulling her panties to the side and pushing James inside of her./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1c150e7efe476ea28128ad46720d0551"God, he felt powerful. Being inside of Vee was like a rush of a drug he never wanted to know the name of. She was warm, and just the mere sensation of being this close to his girl. He let out a moan, probably the loudest, most strangled moan he'd ever let slip from his lips, but that's how she made him feel. Venus brought out the best in James. The best smile, the best laugh, and the best orgasms./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d10051b4d9314cce7237d78e124f2124"As she rode on top of him he got closer than he wanted to, to finishing. There was no doubt about it, Venus knew what she was doing. She bounced up and down looking like a god damned goddess. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="65176b8659eabe71a43b55cdf63ac9cc"Feeling like he couldn't resist her anymore he sat up, pulling her up with him. They sat in a tangled web of each other. Grinding, grabbing, kissing, and biting whatever they could get their hands on. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d64ea14850061ffac78b07c9a5b21401"And just when it felt like it couldn't get any better, it did. Venus came, and in the process, James did too. He wanted to last longer, but he couldn't help it. Feeling her walls squeeze on him, and watching her body shake and her face freeze with pleasure...honestly, he was surprised it hadn't happened sooner./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="80cd90dbe918c5dbf91b3b5ff154c7d6"They sat in each other's arms, relishing their closeness. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="51c1b83fbfe186cfc99a2b622ee4edd0"Venus broke out of their embrace and kissed James softly on the lips. "Don't leave me, Bello"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5bec18e7eae5141dfd813f34228b9017"He looked her dead in the eyes, brushed her hair out of her face, and made a promise that he intended to keep for the rest of his life. "Never."/p 


	7. seven

**dancing venus  
**

It was a long drive to the port key, and Venus had spent the whole ride begging James to take off the blindfold and asking about forty thousand questions every 2 minutes.

First, it was: "Oo a blindfold, kinky."

Then it was: " Why do I have a swimsuit when there's not a beach near here."

And then it was: "If you kill me you'll never get my secret fortune." That was his favorite; mainly because they both knew that there was no secret fortune to be had.

When they arrived at the port key there were hundreds of other people there, zipping in and out either ready to have to time of their lives, or dashing out and quickly coming back for more. James took her blindfold off and watched as her excited expression dimmed as quickly as it appeared.

Her shoulders slumped and her she pouted, "Is this it? A bunch of drunk people standing around a giant potato?"

James chuckled and grabbed her by the hand moving closer to the 'giant potato'. "This potato, my dear, is a port key that will take us to our _real_ destination."

"This is an awful lot of traveling, Bello." She frowned.

"Just put your hand on the potato love, I promise you won't regret it." James kissed her forehead, and she laughed.

"You're lucky I like you so much." She smirked.

* * *

By the time they arrived, it was already sunset and the party was in full swing. Drinks were being handed out like free puppies at an adoption agency, and there wasn't an angry face insight. Even the wait staff seemed to be having a good time. Vee was going to love this. He slowly navigated her to the bar and helped her into her seat.

He signaled to the bartender and quietly ordered three shots of firewhisky. One for him and two for her. That was another one of the things that he loved about Vee, she could out drink him better than Sirius could, and that was a major feat.

As the bartender finished pouring their drinks James gently reached around Venus and untied her blindfold. She sat up straighter and James watched as her head spun around and her eyes darted back and forth so quickly that it made him dizzy. Once she finally placed where she was her head zipped right back to James and she pulled a huge grin. "Are we where I think we are?"

James smirked and leaned back in his seat. "Well, that depends." He said. "Do you think we're at the Sounds of the Mystic Music Festival?"

Venus hopped up and down in her seat, ecstatic that she was finally at the one place that she had been dying to visit for the past two years. She downed one of her two shots and jumped into James' lap.

"Have I ever told you that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me?" She whispered before kissing him softly.

"Maybe once or twice." He hummed into her lips.

The Sounds of the Mystic Music (or TSSM Fest as most liked to call it) was a very secret, very wild, and very hidden music festival for the magically and monetarily inclined, where the best names in wizard music came to perform, and it just so happened that Sirius Black had tickets but lost his date. So, in a perfect Sirius Black fashion, he gifted his tickets to his best friend and his best friends wife. And James Potter just so happened to gift his second ticket to his mistress. Not his wife.

Best decision he'd ever made.

James and Vee had gotten so caught up in their moment that he'd almost threw out the whole plan he had for them. He pulled away from Vee and held the side of her face in his hand. "Ah-ah-ah." He laughed, "we have an itinerary for tonight ma'am."

Venus threw her head back in laughter taking another shot before turning back to face him. "Is that so sir?"

James nodded his head and smiled, "All of your favorites are here and I'm making a promise to you, right here and right now, that you won't leave here without seeing all of them."

"And which of my favorites are here exactly?" She laughed smartly.

"Oh nobody, just The Hobgoblins, Michael Jackson, Queen, and Spellbound." He bit his lip and waited for her to start squealing, her normal reaction to the slightest mention of the aforementioned musical acts. Instead, she took the last shot, meant for him, downed it, and kissed him all over his face before jumping out of her seat and grabbing him by the hand, and pulling him up with her.

"Where to first?" She grinned.

* * *

All of the performances were over and now they stood in the middle of a makeshift club. Loud music played and all anybody did was drink and dance, James and Venus included. Venus shook and spun and flailed her arms all about dancing with more joy, vigor, and passion than James had ever seen, and just the sight was enough motivation to keep him running after her all night.

By now it had to have been 3 am, and he was sure Lily had probably called the overnight house three times to check-in. He told her there was an imperative Auror-slash-Order job he had to take care of all weekend and that he would be back home Monday night if all went well. It seemed like the more time went by, the easier it was to lie.

By this point, his body was aching, and his legs felt like jello, but he pulled himself together for what he'd momentarily convinced himself was one final dance. He finished off his beer, the alcohol was working to numb his aching joints, and ran back to the dance floor to find his love.

When he reached her she was moving at a pace faster than the song that was playing. He got behind her and wrapped his arms around her hips moving with her, their bodies rocking together as one. They ground, slid, and moved against each other together in a way that made everyone around them stare in jealousy. Anyone within a ten-foot radius could tell what they had and no one in the room could stop themselves from being filled with envy at the mere sight of it.

And then, the first slow song of the night came on and James couldn't have been happier. Spending his whole night trying to keep up with Venus had him more exhausted than any quidditch match could, and while he enjoyed every second of it, he probably didn't look the most attractive with droplets of sweat running down his nose.

As the songs shifted so did their bodies. James pulled Venus close and held her in his arms, swaying along to the music. Through the sound of the music and the chatter of everyone in the room, James could hear Venus speak. It was a fleeting sound, so soft he was able to hear the sound of her fingers tapping against his chest before he actually heard her.

"Esme." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"Esme." She looked up at him and smiled. "It's short for Esmeralda, but I want you to call me Esme. You got that Bello?"

James held her hand and squeeze it tighter. "Yes, ma'am."

As they continued to sway James looked towards the coastline of the beach with the brightest smile on his face. He couldn't believe she actually told him. He'd thought it would have taken another month at least.

With the woman he cared most about pulled close to his body, he couldn't help but repeat her name over and over again in his head. Esme, Esmeralda, Esme, _Esmeralda._ It was so fitting of her. He couldn't explain it. It just was. It was complex, yet simple; it was gorgeous and new, and just like her stage name, it was somehow able to capture everything about her in just a few syllables.


End file.
